Google Donates Millions So Kids Can Take The Bus For Free In San Francisco

Google announced today that it will donate $6.8 million to a
program that offers free municipal transit rides to low- and
middle-income youth in San Francisco.

The program, called
Free Muni For Youth, was previously funded by the city at a
cost of about $3 million per year; it allows more than 30,000
kids age 5 to 17 to ride San Francisco Municipal Railway
buses and light-rail vehicles for free.

Before the announcement, Muni's board of directors was
considering whether to keep the year-old program.

"With this unprecedented gift from Google, we can keep this
successful pilot program running for at least two more years at
no cost to taxpayers or Muni riders and free up critical funds
for other vital Muni maintenance and services," Mayor Ed Lee said
in a statement.

The donation couldn't come at a better time for Google, whose
bus program has been a sore subject for residents in San
Francisco.

"San Francisco residents are rightly frustrated that we don't pay
more to use city bus stops," Google
said in a statement to The Verge. "So we'll continue to work
with the city on these fees, and in the meantime will fund Muni
passes for low income students for the next two years."